Lustful Desires: But no lightning running through her veins.

If that hormone fueled Tom turkey that proudly strutted his stuff for the entire nearby animal kingdom to see at the edge of a clearing in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore thought he was enticing the nearby hen; and he dreamed that his deep gobbles, curved leg spurs, sexy beard (well-perhaps for her) and flashy throat displays of engorged flesh and tail fanning would fuel her with lustful desires, sadly for him, he had another think coming. She could have cared less. She contined to poke about in the dirt for grubs and dried seeds. Sex - at least with him - was not in the cards. And from the vantage point my friend and I had (eager voyeurs we were) as we watched him try to make the ground tremble one thing became perfectly clear: There was not even a hint of lightning running through her veins. I did my best imitation of a gooble to show him how it might be done. He gobbled back but could not quite figure out who I was and where I was. Perhaps that was just as well. As for the hen, enough of this game. Without even a backwards glance that perhaps would have equaled a scribbled phone number on a moist bar napkin she walked off into the woods leaving him with nothing to do but peck at the ground. And that he did. But I know that just like a wanna-be stud acting womanizer in a bar with an open shirt flaunting gold chains and far more flash than substance, he would just trot to the edge of the field and try again. He was not searching for romance. He was a Tom, a Tom on the make, and in 'turkey world' it's the same for feathered turkeys and male humans that act like that lustful tom in an empty field. Closing time and last call had arrived - - - and she was gone.

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About Me

Jonathan Schechter, a naturalist and resident of Brandon Township with a passion for outdoor adventure and severe weather events writes a weekly hiking column for the Oakland Press. He lives on 11 acres with a rich mix of wildlife, meadows, woods and wetlands. He has a Master of Science Degree in Forest Resources from the U. of Washington and is an active member of the Wilderness Medical Society certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. His writings and nature photos reveal ways humans are subtly yet dynamically altering the behavior of wildlife leading to a corruption of nature's way and wildlife behavior. Join his Earth Almanac blog as Jonathan shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond.